Department of Education, Sport and Culture
617 FOI requests | Full disclosure rate: 38.1%
The Freedom of Information requests to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture reveal an authority deeply entangled in the controversy of the St Thomas' Primary School co-location proposal. A significant portion of the casework (over 14 related cases) focuses on this issue, where the Department frequently employed a 'practical refusal' or 'already public' defense to withhold decision-making correspondence (e.g., 354839, 354847), while simultaneously disclosing granular data on pupil catchments (354959) and the fact that the school paid no rent (467435). This pattern suggests a strategy of transparency on operational metrics but obstruction on political and strategic deliberations. The data also exposes a complex relationship between the state and religious groups; while the Department confirmed regular visits by the Child Evangelism Fellowship (354861), it actively blocked access for the abortion reform group HEAR (354831), highlighting a selective gatekeeping of external influences in schools.
Key Cases
Case 354861 — Reveals the systematic presence of the Child Evangelism Fellowship in Isle of Man schools, providing a detailed breakdown of visit frequencies, which raises questions about the separation of church and state in public education.
Case 354831 — Discloses a specific incident where the abortion reform group HEAR attempted to access pupils at St Mary's School and was declined, offering a rare glimpse into the Department's vetting of controversial external groups.
Case 361143 — Highlights a significant administrative error and subsequent correction regarding public objections to the St Thomas' co-location (initially 403 signatures, corrected to 413), demonstrating the volatility of the consultation process.
Case 467435 — Confirms that St Thomas' School paid zero rent to the Department for the building, parking, and playgrounds over three years, a crucial financial fact in the debate over the school's viability and the co-location proposal.
Case 354883 — Discloses that eight unqualified teachers were employed in training roles across four secondary schools, raising concerns about the quality of education and staffing standards during the 2016/17 academic year.
Related FOI Stories
The St Thomas' Co-location Saga — #354839, #354847, #354849, #358135, #354867
Home Education and Legal Enforcement — #354833, #354857, #354875, #358137, #354911
School Performance Data and Statistical Gaps — #354791, #354801, #354809, #354815, #354925
Religious Influence and External Visits — #354851, #354831, #354861, #354877, #512133
Staffing, Employment, and Discipline — #354805, #354813, #354883, #354945, #354947
| Date | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-03-14 | Details of RSE Investigation: Terms of Reference & ID of Investigator | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| 2023-03-13 | Headteachers' Reports to Governing Bodies (Selected Schools) | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-03-07 | PSHE Syllabus | All information sent |
| 2023-03-02 | Arts council national strategy results + break down of funding areas | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-03-02 | Complaints made about Rushen Primary | All information sent |
| 2023-02-28 | Sex education in schools | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-02-27 | RSE Lessons | Neither confirm or deny information held |
| 2023-02-23 | Reports on bullying 2020, 2021, 2022 | All information sent |
| 2023-02-22 | Pantomime Productions 2019 - 2022 | All information sent |
| 2023-02-16 | Request of nominee statistics for Isle of Man Sport awards | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-02-08 | Financial Accounts | All information sent |
| 2023-01-31 | List of all Dept of Education bids to Treasury | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2023-01-31 | Salary deductions following strike action | Not upheld |
| 2023-01-23 | NASUWT Industrial Action 2022-23 Academic Year | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-01-20 | Feasibility and Masterplan for CRHS | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-01-18 | Art's Council | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2023-01-10 | Surveys | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| 2022-12-19 | Swimming Pool Report | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| 2022-12-13 | Title: Villa Marina Events - disposable glasses used | Information not held |
| 2022-12-01 | Numbers comparison | All information sent |
| 2022-11-17 | DESC Department Plan 2022-2023 - MHK Briefing Details | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2022-11-14 | Internet cameras | All information sent |
| 2022-10-18 | Current Status and Future Plans of FairField Junior School Building | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2022-10-14 | Impact on Schools of Industrial Action by Teachers Part 2 | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2022-10-11 | Assembly hall capacity at RGS | All information sent |
| 2022-10-06 | School access for children with additional needs. | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2022-10-04 | RGS - Sex and Relationship Education | All information sent |
| 2022-10-04 | Learning aids and material related to Black History Month | Some information sent but not all held |
| 2022-10-04 | Register of Pupils identified with AEN / SEN | All information sent |
| 2022-10-03 | Emotional Behavioural Disorder | All information sent |
| 2022-09-28 | GCSE and A Level Examination Attainment 2022 | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2022-09-27 | Gender balance of Primary school teachers. | All information sent |
| A request was made for statistics on the gender balance of primary school teachers in the Isle of Man as of September 2022 and details on any schools lacking male teachers. The authority responded by sending all requested information, including a 2019 Equal Opportunities Employee Handbook, though the specific statistical data is not visible in the provided text excerpt. | ||
| 2022-09-26 | A-Level results for each subject by school in 2022 | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2022-09-26 | GCSE results for each subject and secondary school for 2022 | All information sent |
| 2022-09-26 | GCSE & Other External Examinations 2021-22: Data and Analysis | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2022-09-23 | Teaching Salaries | Not upheld |
| 2022-09-15 | Results | No information sent - all held but exempt |
| The requester asked for a breakdown of GCSE and A-Level results by school, and the Department of Education, Sport and Culture provided a detailed table of performance statistics for five schools despite stating the outcome as 'all held but exempt'. | ||
| 2022-09-09 | Unpublished copies of Responses to FOI Requests | Some information sent but part exempt |
| 2022-08-26 | Children who don't identify as human | Information not held |
| A request was made to the Department of Education, Sport and Culture regarding policies and statistics on children identifying as non-human. The authority responded that it does not hold any information on this subject. | ||
| 2022-08-18 | Northern Schools Capacity and Roles | All information sent |
| A request was made for the maximum pupil capacity and anticipated September 2022 roll numbers for six specific schools in the Isle of Man. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed all requested data, providing full capacity and enrollment figures for each institution. | ||
| 2022-08-17 | Impact of Industrial Action by teachers | Upheld - partial |
| 2022-07-25 | Additional Complex Needs Funding | All information sent |
| The request sought data on additional complex needs funding for primary schools in the Isle of Man, including approval rates, budget breakdowns, and application criteria. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed all requested information, providing statistics on funding requests and a detailed financial breakdown for the 2021/22 year. | ||
| 2022-07-18 | Union action | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought data on school days lost to union action and staff absences in 2021-2022, to which the Department of Education responded with partial data covering specific periods while clarifying that no classes were sent home after the school day commenced. | ||
| 2022-07-13 | No. of Children attending Primary and Secondary Schools and capacity. | All information sent |
| 2022-07-07 | Primary school class sizes | All information sent |
| The request sought current Year 5 and expected Year 6 class sizes for Scoill Phurt Le Moirrey and Rushen Primary Schools, including breakdowns for combined year groups. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed all requested data, detailing specific pupil counts for the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 academic years. | ||
| 2022-07-06 | Gender identification | Some information sent but part exempt |
| The request sought all communications between the Department of Education, Sport and Culture and external organizations regarding gender identification. The authority released several documents including questionnaires and emails from Edge Hill University and the Rainbow Flag Award, but redacted personal details under an absolute exemption. | ||
| 2022-06-21 | Eligibility breakdown for Free School Meals | All information sent |
| The request sought the number of children eligible for free school meals and a breakdown by specific parental benefits. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed the total number of students in receipt of meals and the number of applicants eligible under three specific benefit categories as of May 2022. | ||
| 2022-05-31 | UCM (University College Isle of Man) 300 hrs, remission & hourly pay | Some information sent but not all held |
| The request sought details on University College Isle of Man lecturer contract changes based on exceeding 300 hours, remission allocation policies, and hourly pay practices. The authority disclosed the 2021 Terms and Conditions of Service, a Sessional Lecturer Worker Request Form, and an amendment record, but noted that not all requested information was held. | ||
| 2022-05-30 | Teachers Pay Award and T&C Negotiations | Information Notice |
| 2022-05-25 | Endowment fund | All information sent |
| The requester asked for financial details regarding an endowment fund for Open University students over the past two years. The Department of Education, Sport and Culture disclosed the specific amounts received and paid out for the Vera Callister Fund for the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 academic years. | ||